Middlesex Water begins service of $52M plant to treat PFOA in groundwater

July 28, 2023

Middlesex Water Company has finished construction and begun service of an upgraded plant to treat a PFAS compound regulated by NJDEP, perfluorooctanoic acid.

Middlesex Water Company has announced that it has finished construction and begun service of an upgraded treatment plant to treat perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in groundwater.

The treatment plant is located at Middlesex’s Park Avenue wellfield in South Plainfield, New Jersey, treating groundwater in compliance with all state and federal drinking water standards.

In 2021, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) adopted a new regulation, or Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), for one of the more prevalent per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds, PFOA. While the drinking water delivered by Middlesex met all existing regulatory standards at the time, when the new MCL became effective, the Park Avenue Plant initially exceeded the new PFOA standard.

Middlesex Water Company suspended use of the wellfield once it was able to switch to alternate sources of supply in November 2021. These alternate sources of supply helped ensure water delivered, from that time forward, was in compliance with all drinking water standards.

By June 2022, due to an expedited, phased construction approach, the company was able to begin successfully treating groundwater containing PFOA in compliance with the new standard through a partial and temporary treatment facility. This interim facility also helped Middlesex meet heightened seasonal water consumption demands. As of June 30, 2023, the facility has progressed from temporary to permanent treatment status and is treating groundwater in compliance with all drinking water standards.

New Jersey’s standard for PFOA is 0.014 parts per billion (ppb) and is among the most stringent standards in the nation. The 0.014 ppb is based on a running annual average (RAA), in which the four most recent quarters of monitoring data are averaged. Middlesex’s RAA for PFOA at the Park Avenue Facility is currently at a level that is non-detectible under current analytical technology.

“I am deeply appreciative of our internal engineering and operations teams and external consultants who worked together to address this issue so effectively and efficiently,” said Dennis Doll, Chairman, President and CEO. “Our Company did not place PFOA into the groundwater, yet we’re committed to protecting public health and as such, are required to expend significant funds and labor resources to remove it to comply with standards.”

Middlesex Water is currently in litigation with the firm it believes is responsible for the PFOA contamination. A trial date is set for October 2 in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark, New Jersey.